Swing Shift (1984)

A woman finds romance when she takes a job at an aircraft plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war.

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Nancy Dowd (as Rob Morton)

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Christine Lahti

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goldie Hawn	...	Kay Walsh
Kurt Russell	...	Lucky Lockhart
Christine Lahti	...	Hazel Zanussi
Fred Ward	...	Biscuits Toohey
Ed Harris	...	Jack Walsh
Sudie Bond	...	Annie
Holly Hunter	...	Jeannie Sherman
Patty Maloney	...	Laverne
Lisa Pelikan	...	Violet Mulligan
Susan Peretz	...	Edith Castle
Joey Aresco	...	Johnny Bonnaro
Morris 'Tex' Biggs	...	Clarence
Reid Cruickshanks	...	Spike
Danny Darst	...	Deacon (as Daniel Dean Darst)
Dennis Fimple	...	Rupert George

Storyline

Jack and Kay Walsh are typical of many couples of the 1940s, where he is the breadwinner and she the housewife dependent upon him to do the man's duties around the house. Jack believes one of their neighbors in the housing complex in which they live in Los Angeles is white trash - he letting her know so at every opportunity, while Kay is quietly curious about her. That neighbor is streetwise Hazel Zanussi, an aspiring singer who does get a chance to sing on occasion at the club managed by her casual boyfriend, Biscuits Toohey, although he relegates her to being one of the taxi dancers more often against her wants, while he cheats on her behind her back despite truly having feelings for her. Hazel just wants to make an honest living. Their worlds are turned upside down on December 7, 1941 when the US enters WWII with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Jack immediately enlists in the Navy, and while he will send money home, his decision leaves Kay largely to fend for herself. Against...

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Plot Keywords:

lifting up dress | 1940s | panties | blonde | year 1941 | 

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Taglines:

When America marched off to war the women marched into the factory. From then on...nothing was the same.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was a huge critical and financial flop for Warner Bros., barely making over one third of its production costs on its initial release.

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Goofs

When he comes home, Jack is wearing the ribbon for the American Defense Service Medal, which is incorrect because he enlisted after Pearl Harbor, and that medal is for those on active duty From September 8, 1939 and December 7, 1941.

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Quotes

Jack Walsh: So like I said, congratulations. Congrats!
[toasts her with a bottle of beer]
Kay Walsh: For what?
Jack Walsh: You know... What did you say your were making?
Kay Walsh: $1.35 an hour.
Jack Walsh: What did you say about overtime?
Kay Walsh: I didn't.
Jack Walsh: [looks deflated] Beats me anyway. Beats me all to hell! Here's to ya', kiddo.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over old, black and white photos.

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 5 minutes from this film for its 1987 network television premiere.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Unlawful Entry/Pinocchio/A League of Their Own/Highway 61/The Adjuster (1992)

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Soundtracks

Skylark
(uncredited)
Music by Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

User Reviews

Swing Shift is a nice period piece.

I really did like this movie. There's a lot to like. It's the beginning of World War II, and all the men are being called to the Army. Goldie Hawn and Ed Harris are a typical American couple thus pulled apart. Goldie gets a Rosie the Riveter job, where she meets Kurt Russel, a 4F plant foreman, and the rest is history.

Swing Shift was directed by Jonathan Demme, of Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia fame, and if this one is a little lighter, it was also a lot earlier in his career. Holly Hunter appears in a very small supporting role, but gives it her star-quality best. Christine Lahti is magnificent as the single neighbor who befriends Goldie at the factory even though she and her husband were cruel to her before the war changed everyone's lives. Fred Ward was already becoming old hat, but he, like the rest of the film, ends up being likeable and thoroughly enjoyable.

Hawn and Russell met on the set and have been together ever since. Maybe the excitement of their real-life romance drained the spark from their on-screen version. This could have been a really moving story of a woman who falls in love while her husband is off to war, but ends up showing us a couple of bump-buddies killing time till their real lives resume. Perhaps that was the point.

Ed Harris is perfectly cast as the common man trying to keep his marriage together in the face of all that life throws in its way. There is a famous scene, in which Ed, wearing nothing but a bath towel, plops into a floppy chair with a cold beer. The resulting bounce proves that Harris is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and explains why this charming little tale will never be on DVD.

Swing Shift is a nice period piece, and provides an amusing, if not entirely accurate, view of the tumultous years in the middle of the last century when the entire world went to war.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Swing Shift

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,270,136, 15 April 1984

Gross USA:

$6,650,206

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,650,206

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Lantana, Hawn / Sylbert Movie Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1